The Pagan Traditions of Christmas

For those of you who like the show Bones you may remember an episode in which Daisy states she does not celebrate Christmas because Jesus wasn't born in December. Biblical evidence suggests shepherds were tending their sheep on the night the holy son was born so it is unlikely he was born in the middle of winter. So why do we celebrate his birth in December?

As one of my history teachers said it was easier to convert pagans to Christianity if there were similarities between the two religions. Pagans celebrated the winter solstice or Yule which occurs on December 21st or 22end, they were used to a celebration in December. Other pagan traditions in Christmas include:

-Kissing under the mistletoe was considered a fertility ritual to many pagans
-The Yule log was blessed and burned in pagan culture to celebrate the wheel of life, it took 12 days for the log to burn (12 days of Christmas)
-The Wreath also celebrates the wheel of life
-The Evergreen tree represents the promised return of life in the spring
-Holly is believed to house good spirits, that would protect the family
-The birth of Jesus corresponds to the rebirth of the sun god (son of the goddess)
-Songs (Christmas Carols) were sung in circles to awaken the magic and worship the god and goddess, wassailing (singing from door to door) is also pagan in origin
-Santa Clause is based on the god Woden who had a long white beard and rode a horse through the skies one evening every Autumn, this morphed into the cult of Nicholas in which Nicholas gave gifts one night a year

There is a long history of the church banning certain Christmas traditions becasue of their pagan origins. No matter what gods you worship I wish you a merry holiday and a happy new year.

Yule- The Winter Solstice

Yule is the pagan sabbat in which many of Christmas's traditions originate. It marks the shortest day of the year and celebrates the rebirth of the Sun King. The goddess labors to birth him and nurture him until he grows from child to man to impregnate her on Ostara with the child who will succeed him the following year.
In your rituals to celebrate the holiday focus on the deeper place of your mind. Bring back things you have put off and meditate on how to compete them before the new year. Seek the inner spark to to keep your spirit and physical energy going through the cold months.

Ritual and celebration ideas

Dreams/ astro projection

Since middle school I can remember having dreams about people I know. In high school I began having these dreams where actual conversation took place between me and the people in my dream.

There is one person I dreamed about on a fairly regular basis and as the years progressed it seemed he was telling me things that he couldn't say to me in real life.
In the last dream I had about him he said good bye......I haven't dreamed of him since.

Recently I had a dream about someone else but that person was in it, though he didn't talk. This new person asks me out and the old person gets an angry look on his face.

These are both the two people I have dreamed about since high school. Both told me they were sorry in my dreams and both have told me how they feel.

Part of me thinks it was my way of getting closure without them, but another part that thinks that maybe we are mutually thinking about each other and our souls are connecting on the dream plain.

I have a history with dreams coming true and think maybe my second belief has some truth to it.

I wish their was a definite way to find out but I don't want to ask the other people in the dream if they dream of me because that would be weird.

A mile stone

After much thought, work, frustration, and faith I have found my magical name. It not only is equal numerically to my birth number but is also the plant that rules my star sign. It is a perfect fit for me. I am pleased to introduce my self to you as Mercury. Merry Meet my friends!

A little more about me

I remember from a young age I had frequent Dasha view moments. According to my mom it happened to everyone and it was nothing abnormal. By the time I hit high school I had just accepted it as something that happened to everyone. That all changed my sophomore year when I started having dreams about my grandfather dying. I just blew it off as something I ate because the dreams were completely weird and not even possible. For example in one my grandpa was driving a mini go cart on a roller coaster in large purple star glasses and he fell of the track. Then in March I had one again and when I woke up to go to school my mom said that they had taken my grandpa to the hospital in the middle of the night. In my last class the office TA told me that my uncle was there to pick me up. One of my best friends was in the class with me and asked what was up and I told her my grandpa had died. No one had to tell me I knew. Even if my dreams had seemed completely bogus one part wasn't. One day after everyone had gotten through their grief I said something to my mom and my aunt. My aunt told me that days before sep. 11 she had had a dream in which a lion attacked and killed a sheep. After 9-11 she made the connection. I am interested in ways to develop this talent. I think it runs in my family.

How I got started on the Wiccian Path

Though my parents claimed Christianity as our family religion we weren't religious people. We didn't go to church we didn't pray before meals or before bed. In middle school I became very religious even though my family wasn't. My cousin would bring me workbooks from her Sunday school class so that I could study the bible. I didn't go to church because I couldn't drive myself and my parents wouldn't take me. Though I was Christian I did not limit myself to religious media. I read and listened to many things most Christians wouldn't. I remember reading Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. This is where I had my first encounter with paganism. At this point I had always had a thirst to read about the Greeks and their gods and goddesses I could name them all from a very young age. In Rice's books Pandora and Blood and Gold it talks about how the Egyptians worshiped the goddess Akasha as Isis. The book talked about their practices and rites to Isis and I remember being mad because as a Christian I couldn't pay tribute to Isis. Later while reading the Da Vinchi Code I realized just how sexist the Christian religion was. I began to research Mary Magdalene and the holy grail and in my research came across many things about the goddess. By my sophomore year of high school I had converted to Wicca and I have been a witch ever since. In the Wiccian religion I find what Christianity could never offer me.

Handfasting

I brought up the idea of becoming hand-fasted to my boyfriend of two and a half years and he loved the idea, so did his roommate. So now not only am I trying to figure out what to do for my handfasting I am trying to help another couple plan their hand-fasting. At this point I would like to inform you that I have never done one before nor do i have an exact idea of what to do. Everything I can find is for a permanent ceremony and we both want the traditional year and a day ceremony as a practice run for marriage. This may be harder than what I initially thought.

Happy Ostara

Today marks the day when light and darkness are equal. Light will be the victor when it overcomes the darkness. Today would be a good day to do something to brighten the darkness in your own life. Spring cleaning and planting a garden are both good activities for today. Try to do something outside and appreciate nature's beauty. Today is the day the God comes into his full power and marries the maiden, impregnating her so that in nine months she will become the mother once again. So plant your seeds, rid your world of the darkness of winter and enjoy life.
Happy Ostara!
Blessed Be

Researching to Spells

I am currently working on two spells. I am in the beginning stages of both.
The first one is a spell to end unwanted feelings about someone. I know I have done it before but for the life of me I can't find the spell so that my friend and I can do it. She recently got out of a long term bad relationship and I want to help her dispel her feeling for him so that she can move on. I am doing the spell as well to sever the emotional ties I have to my first love who obviously doesn't care about me, so that I too can move on to better people. I think I may end up concocting my own spell to sever these ties and I am researching tools and things to use in the spell.
My second goal is to make a protection amulet for one of my best friends whom is like a brother to me. He is joining the National Guard and I want to give it to him as a gift. I have been reading up on stones, metals, and herbs so I know which ones have properties that would benefit a soldier. This is harder than I thought. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I will keep you posted on my progress.
Blessed Be!

Once in a Blue moon

This new years is going to come in with a bang. Tonight is a blue moon which means that the full moon tonight is the second one to happen in the month of December. Tonight is going to be very magical. The full moon is best used for spells of empowerment or healing. In lue of the new year and the resolutions we are about to set forth I will provide a spell of empowerment that is simple and easy and can be done where ever you are bringing in the new year.

A Spell of Empowerment
This spell requires no components accept a believe in magic. Visualize what ever it is you desire and say it silently to yourself. Pour emotion into your thought then say what ever it is you desire again with emotion to back it. When you have done this with emotion and believe forget about it. Release the desire into the world.

Use the blue moon to make your new years resolution extra powerful. Good luck!


Happy New Years and Blessed be my friends!!

I am moving on to exercise two

For this exercise I have to pick five things and each day I look at them to see how they have changed.
My five things are going to be:
My basil plant
Charity (mostly because I think she is sick)
My fish tank
Spider web out side
My moving in progress

Wish me luck

Day five

only two more days then on to the next exercise:
Truck
Dino Doll
Parking pass
sticker
Mulch
Trim
railing
Pepsi bottle
coke machine
car
shorts
ladder
wall
laundry card
GMC logo

day four

More red stuff:

Ash tray

flowers

American Flag

Chairs

Spray Paint can

tool box

Top of fire starter container

More flowers

Car

Mulch

Bench

day three

more red stuff:
Rebel flag
tomato stickers
off button on remote
blanket
laundry card
medicine bottle
sun screen bottle
bandanna
towel
lamp shade
blink ticket
poster
cup
marine book
cat dishes
tomatoes
water dish
vacuum
shoe string
Faygo bottle

Day two of exersise ( I missed one i know)

red stuff:
Nozzle on skirt bottle
Lid on cup
guitar hero controller
scissors
Scrap book
cat cube
Windex logo
light bulb
Labtop holder
cloth on book shelf
circles on wonder bread box

Day one of color exersise.

these are the red objects I found in my five minute block.
Broom
Push pin
Sign
bread stick basket
Drink
Dr. Peper Logo
Numbers on pad
Beer buckets
Tomatoes
Hold button on phone
Menu
fire extinguisher
Loto machine
Card holder
Water tab on coffee machine
Stapler
Pepsi logo
Pen
twisler package
NBO logo
Ketchup
IU sign
Minus button on calculator
3 shirts
whip cream container

thats it for day one 6 more to go :)
Blessed be!

My goal for this blog

This blog is going to detail my journey in the Wiccian religion. I have started an online course at Magicka school and have just taken my second test and moved on too lesson three. So far I have learned the history of Wicca, the details behind the gods and goddesses of Wicca, and am now on casting the circle. I am working on meditating and seem to be getting better at it...when I can find the time to do it. Starting tomorrow I am doing a month long exercise to hon my scenes. For the first week I have to look for things that are the color red (I chose this color) for five minutes and must write them all down each day when I get home. Wish me luck and I would appreciate your suggestions and comments on my study :)

Blessed Be